2025 World Hepatitis Day: FG Launches Bold 365 Project to Eliminate Hepatitis by 2030
The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has launched a nationwide hepatitis elimination campaign tagged “Project 365” to tackle the country’s overwhelming hepatitis B and C burden and move towards elimination by 2030.
The initiative was officially announced during a ministerial press briefing to commemorate World Hepatitis Day 2025, themed “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down,” held at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
In his keynote address, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, revealed that over 20 million Nigerians are currently living with hepatitis B and C infections, 18.2 million with hepatitis B and 2.5 million with hepatitis C.
The coordinating minister who was represented by Dr. Godwin Ntadom, Director Public Health Department of the ministry, said: “Over 90% of those infected remain undiagnosed and unknowingly transmit the virus, which is often mistaken for malaria. This contributes to a staggering 4,252 annual deaths from liver cancer and results in economic losses estimated between ₦13.3 trillion and ₦17.9 trillion annually,”
He warned that the disease, though preventable and treatable, continues to silently ravage communities due to low awareness, stigma, and limited access to testing and treatment.
Announcing a bold and transformative steps initiated for implementation by the Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare;
Prof. Pate unveiled Project 365, a year-round national program to boost screening, diagnosis, vaccination, and treatment, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
The project will operate alongside ongoing efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis, and STIs, through integrated public health systems.
In driving Systemic Change to support the hepatitis elimination agenda, Professor Pate also announced structural reforms and financial commitments, including:
The establishment of a Viral Elimination Fund (VEF)
Increased budgetary support for hepatitis programming
Tax incentives and regulatory reforms to encourage local vaccine and drug manufacturing
Legislative support for expanding diagnostic and treatment services
“These steps are crucial to make hepatitis medications more affordable and accessible while laying the groundwork for sustainable local pharmaceutical manufacturing” he noted.
Professor Pate with a passionate call to action: “Nigeria can no longer bear the label of having the third-highest hepatitis burden globally. We have the science, the strategy, and now the will. We will act, boldly and with urgency, for a Nigeria free from the burden of viral hepatitis.”
Speaking on awareness and sensitization, the Director and National Coordinator of the National AIDS/HIV, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), Dr. Adebobola Bashorun said the campaign will use community-led approaches, including:
